Interview: Amber Belldene, Blood Vine Series

This is the pitch HEA curator Joyce received in her inbox one day: "Amber Belldene is a vampire fan, romance writer and Episcopal priest who grew up on the Florida Panhandle swimming with alligators, climbing oak trees and diving for scallops … when she could pull herself away from a book. As a child, she hid her Nancy Drew novels inside the church bulletin and read mysteries during sermons — an irony that is not lost on her when she preaches these days."

OK, an author of vampire romances who is also a priest AND swims with alligators? We're in!

Here, Amber, author of the Blood Vine Series, chats with HEA about vamps, Episcopal priestdom, how they mix and other fun stuff. (Note from Joyce: Sarah Polus, who did this interview with Amber, is a Paste BN intern.)

Sarah: Welcome to HEA, Amber! How does being a student of religion influence your stories?

Amber: Thanks so much for having me on HEA — what an exciting honor!

My interest in religion is very influential to my writing. I'm fascinated by history and all kinds of spirituality, so in the Blood Vine Series my characters are ancient, speak many languages, have conflicting traditions, and yet must try to get along. In my new release, Blood Entangled, I created a fictional history of vampires and Hunters and drew on my knowledge of religion to imagine their mythology, artifacts, and how they evolved into the modern day. Then I used these cultures to explore universal human themes like purity, power, and belonging (which are really also religious themes). While each of my heroes and heroines has their personal journey, the series is also about the Hunters and vampires' collective journey through their history of violence toward reconciliation.

Phew. All of that sounds kind of geeky. But I hope the way it plays out is as sexy and funny as it is serious and heartfelt. It sure was fun to write, especially the star-crossed-lovers story of Pedro the vampire and Lucas the Hunter. Not only do those boys have to deal with their own romance issues, they also have to work out all the problems for their respective tribes and show that peace is possible.

Sarah: Do you ever incorporate values/stories/lessons from your characters' experiences from your books into your sermons?

Amber: Now that is an interesting question! We have a joke among preachers that we each only have one sermon. In other words, we find the one idea we care about most and every sermon is just a variation on it. (If you get bored during your pastor's sermons, this might explain why!) So, rather than saying I incorporate my characters' lessons into sermons, it's probably the other way around; my "one idea" shapes every character and story I write.

Recently, I said in an interview that "what really makes books different is the author's world view, and how successfully that comes through in his or her writing voice." I believe it is in our complicated, wacky, screwed-up glory that we are most lovable to God and to one another. So I write both sermons and novels with a gritty, realistic kind of hope for forgiveness, healing, peacemaking — a better world. I hope that vision comes through in my novels.

Sarah: How does living in San Francisco compare with your time growing up in Florida? Does each place bring out certain sides of your personality or inspire you in different ways?

Amber: Another great question! I grew up very connected to the natural world and as part of a traditional Southern family. I have a deep nostalgia for the place of my roots, but now it's a place of memory where I can only visit, not live. I gave this nostalgic feeling a paranormal twist in the Blood Vine Series — my vampires slowly waste away when they live in exile from their homeland.

Now, I love living in San Francisco. It's a city full of open-minded, creative people happily living in exile, where misfits come to play and never leave. I may live far away from my roots, but San Francisco has taught me family is something you make, beyond blood relationships. And, yes, I would say this is a major theme of the Blood Vine Series: Our ties to our roots are real and powerful, but we can choose how to live with them and whom to love.

Sarah: You describe your writing as "playful." Do you have any other hobbies that let you engage that side of your personality?

Amber: OK, now I am laughing. Hobbies? Yeah, right! I used to be an avid gardener, knitter and foodie, but now my toddler twins and my other babies — my books — take up all the time for leisure! When I'm not at my computer or at church, I am on the playground, pushing a swing. So I have to engage the playful side of my personality everywhere. Playfulness is my most vital coping skill as a parent, a priest, and a writer. Being able to laugh at myself, at all the absurdity that happens at church, and at those scenes that just don't work, is what gets me through, plain and simple.

Sarah: Please tell us more about Blood Vine and Blood Entangled.

Amber: Blood Vine begins when Croatian vampire Andre Maras believes he has found a cure for vampire wasting disease. He hires a beautiful, brilliant, and aloof public relations executive named Zoey Porter to help him reach the vampires who have gone into hiding from Hunters. Zoey journeys to his beautiful California winery, the Kaštel Estate, and falls in love with his quirky household without knowing the gruff patriarch who presides over them all is a vampire. Andre and Zoey both have tragic histories, which bind them together in a surprising way, no matter how much they both resist loving again, and no matter how hard Hunters try to keep them apart.

Blood Entangled continues the story of the Maras family with Andre's eldest son, Kos, who is the operations man at the Kaštel Estate. He is honorable, practical, and sorely tempted by Lena Isaakson, whom he believes loves his father. From a long line of blood servants, Lena is destined to serve a vampire, but destiny isn't following her plans. She's a good girl, just trying very hard to follow her heart. In this book, Lena and I went on a wild ride together because we had to explore all the dark corners in the vampire world I had created but had not yet ventured into. It's a dark, dangerous, sexy story, but since this is the HEA blog, I will say both Kos and Lena emerge with their charming sweetness intact.

Sarah: What can readers expect to see from you next?

Amber: The third book in the Blood Vine Series, Blood Reunited, is slated for release at the end of this year. I have to admit it's my favorite, because it's the culmination of the whole story, which I hold dear. Not only does it reveal the outcome of the conflict between Hunters and vampires, but it has a fun variation on the "fated mates" trope with the romance between vampire biologist Bel Maras, Andre's brooding youngest son, and Uta Ilirije, an ancient warrior queen. Here's a taste of their dynamic: Uta knows so many languages that she can't be bothered to perfect her English grammar, and her slips make Bel crazy.

Sarah: Is there anything you'd like to add?

Amber: Yep! Somehow I've gotten through all these questions without mentioning that my books are very high on the heat scale. I am a nice Christian girl, but I am also very passionate about the relationship between sex and spirituality. To me, sexuality is a gift from God and one of the most delightful ways we experience love — both divine and human. So I better add a warning: Don't pick up the Blood Vine Series if you are just looking for a sweet, inspirational story. All of that is in there, but so is the hot vampire sex!

HEA: Heh. Warning noted, Amber. Thanks and good luck with everything!

To find out more about Amber and her books, visit amberbelldene.com. You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter (@AmberBelldene).

And, hey, while you're here, maybe you'd like to check out the trailer for Amber's latest, Blood Entangled: